Everyone catch their breath yet? Good, because if the rumors out there are any indication, yesterday’s signing of free agent shortstop outfielder first baseman baseball player Ian Desmond are just the beginning for the Rockies.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about this move, at least in isolation, and the baseball world reacted as such. Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports can see why the Rockies could be going for it this year, but wonders aloud if Desmond was the right player to “go for it” with. Grant Brisbee minces no words: if the Rockies signed Ian Desmond to play 1st base, it’s a horrible waste. However, if this means that more moves are to come, perception of this deal could change rapidly. Nicholas Stellini thinks that move is pretty clear: go after Edwin Encarnación. Your lips to Jeff’s ears, Nick. Jonah Keri speculates that, while it may not mean another free agent signing is on the way, the move will have ripple effects throughout the game in the coming days and weeks.
Part of the mystery about signing Ian Desmond is that he is historically a groundball hitter, posting a career 50.4% ground ball rate. This leads Zach Crizer of Beyond the Box Score to ask: “Why aren’t the Rockies stocking their lineup with fly ball hitters?” He may yet get his wish.
Last night we got word that the Rockies likely aren’t done, even with free agent hitters. Ken Rosenthal tweeted that they aren’t “necessarily out on Trumbo.” If that happens, the expectation is that they would move an outfielder in order to get a “front-of-the-rotation-type pitcher,” according to Jeff Passan.
We also have confirmation that the Rockies may be in conversations with the St. Louis Cardinals, who are in the market for a new centerfielder and may be interested in acquiring Charlie Blackmon.
And even if they aren’t, as the Boss said, general manager Jeff Bridich just convinced the Monforts to open up their wallets for a free agent, which could portend big things for the future.
Finally, the Rule 5 Draft happened this morning and the Rockies didn’t take anyone during the major league portion, but they did lose infielder Josh Rutledge to the Red Sox, making that the briefest of reunions.